After five years and a national championship, Olivia Dunne is now officially retired from NCAA Gymnastics. As she bid goodbye to her collegiate career and the LSU locker room, the youngster recently penned a 4-word message to make her feelings known about the same.
Dunne first signed with Louisiana State University in 2019. While the American had experienced plenty of success on the junior elite level, injuries hampered her senior elite career and she subsequently turned her focus to the NCAA. In her freshman and sophomore year with the Tigers, the gymnast was an integral part of the team, and a regular on their uneven bars lineup.
Now, after wrapping up her fifth and final year in the NCAA, Olivia Dunne is saying goodbye to the LSU Tigers. As she moves away from the college, the 22-year-old recently made her last visit to the LSU locker room. Sharing a snap of her emptied out and cleaned locker, Dunne wrote,
“Livvy is now dunne.”
For Dunne, her career with the Tigers came to a bittersweet ending. The youngster began her final season with the team competing on the floor, and balance beam, registering some impressive scores. However, she suffered an avulsion fracture to her knee which forced her to sit out the majority of the season, including LSU’s senior night.
Olivia Dunne calls LSU the ‘best university’ as she retires from gymnastics
Olivia Dunne began her journey in gymnastics when she was only three-years-old. Earlier this month, when the LSU Tigers failed to make it out of the NCAA semifinals, it marked the end of a twenty years long career in the sport for Dunne.
Recently, Dunne shared a video of herself watching the highlights of her career, from junior elite to the NCAA championships. In the background of the video, a voice-over by the gymnast hailed LSU as the ‘best university’, saying,
“Finishing my career over the past five years with the best university in the world has been an incredible journey. I’m forever grateful. Gymnastics, you’ve filled my heart and will always be a part of me. You’ve shaped me into the person I am today, creating memories and sisterhoods that will last a lifetime beyond this sport. You were my first love.”
Outside of gymnastics, Olivia Dunne enjoys a massive social media following. Under the NIL rules, the American has made the most of her following and signed with multiple big brands, including Sports Illustrated, American Eagle, Vuori, and more, and has expressed her desire to continue working in the NIL space despite retiring from gymnastics.
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Edited by Riddhi Acharya
